And no, you don’t have to go all the way to Menorca .. .

Bestselling nutritionist Jeannette Hyde shares her four-week plan that promises to shift 6 lb to 13 lb — almost a stone!

WEEKS ONE AND TWO

THE focus is on building a wider array of bacteria. The key principles here are:

1. PLANTS: Try to get different plants (vegetables, herbs and fruits) into meals. Think a minimum of seven cups of plants — five as vegetables, two as fruit. You are looking for 750g+ (1½lb+). Aim for 20 to 30 varieties a week — a shopping trolley exploding with colour and textures.

2. BUY the best protein you can afford (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds) to include at each meal. 3. RELAX and chew properly: Try not to eat on the run or ‘al desko’. 4. FAST: Get into the habit of a 12-hour fast between dinner and breakfast. A long stretch without food improves the microbiome. 5. AVOID snacking. Have three meals a day.

WEEKS THREE AND FOUR

THE second half of the plan is ‘planting season’, introducing the following into your gut:

1. PREBIOTICS: Increase your intake of prebiotic foods that contain fibres, which feed bacteria in the gut and make friendly species bloom. These include: apples, asparagus, bananas, chicory root, cold potatoes (after cooking they form a

fibre called resistant starch), fennel, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, onions, pak choi, pulses (allowed if you are vegetarian to boost protein).

2. PROBIOTICS: These contain friendly bacteria and include: kefir milk, Roquefort cheese, fermented live miso and fermented tempeh (both made from soya beans and found in Asian supermarkets; add miso, a paste, to stir-fries and soups, buy tempeh in blocks to add to stir-fries and salads).

JUST SAY NO TO...

ALCOHOL, caffeine, sugar, sweeteners, dairy (although in weeks three and four it is included in small amounts because foods such as fermented milk kefir can boost gut flora), grains (particularly gluten-containing wheat, rye and spelt), beans and pulses ( they contain high levels of lectins which can cause bloating), and dried fruit (due to high fructose sugar).

KEEP OFF THE WEIGHT

WHEN the month is up, transition to the maintenance stage, a gut-friendly version of the real Mediterranean diet: plants — vegetables, seasonal fruits and wild herbs — supplemented with fish, nuts and grains, extra virgin olive oil, artisan, slowmatured cheeses teeming with friendly bacteria, and moderate amounts of quality meat.